


Appendix G: Sexuality and Gender in Middle-earth

by westrons



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Boromir Is The Only Straight One, Gen, LGBTQ Themes, Middle Earth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:01:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24296266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westrons/pseuds/westrons
Summary: The archaeological discovery of the ruins of Bag End reveals more than scholars were expecting. What if there was more to the Book of Westmarch? Everyone is queer and I'll prove it. A fic in the style of the Appendices.
Relationships: Aragorn | Estel/Arwen Undómiel, Aragorn | Estel/Théoden Ednew, Celebrían/Elrond Peredhel, Frodo Baggins/Rose Cotton/Sam Gamgee, Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee, Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf, Rose Cotton/Sam Gamgee, Éowyn/Faramir (Son of Denethor II)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 62





	Appendix G: Sexuality and Gender in Middle-earth

**Author's Note:**

> As the summary says, this is a fic in the style of the Appendices. The characters and pairings tagged are those explicitly mentioned in the text, but this isn't narrative; this is intended to feel like a scholarly work.
> 
> Have fun, y'all.

All scholars of Middle-earth will be intimately familiar with the Tolkien translation of the Red Book of the Periannath, which recounts the events preceding and following the War of the Ring in T.A. 3018 and 3019. Tolkien first discovered the Red Book in 1923 C.E., just 14 years before he would publish his first translation of Bilba Labingi’s _There and Back Again_ (he later corrected key passages having to do with the Ring and the tragic figure Trahald in 1947 as his work on _The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King_ deepened).

Following the archaeological breakthrough in the northern London suburb of Southgate in early 2019, it is clear now that Tolkien’s Red Book was an incomplete manuscript. Additional fragments reveal previously unknown diversity in ancient Middle-earth in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity. The following is an attempt to consolidate this new information, and will be included in all future publications of _The Lord of the Rings_ and its Appendices to help scholars more fully understand key figures and events in the history of Middle-earth.

We will begin with the Third Age, as this is when the bulk of the fragments can be dated. Therefore, it should be assumed that all dates are T.A. unless otherwise specified. Dates in the present day will always be marked C.E. for the Common Era, as demonstrated above. Where more obscure non-Westron names are used, a gloss will always be included for the sake of those primarily versed in the Tolkien translation (e.g. the Northern Mannish “Trahald” is, in Westron, “Sméagol”).

Although most sections appear to have been written by Maura Labingi or Banazîr Galbasi, the primary authors of _The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King_ , a later section on Thorin’s Company and Dwarven culture (III) was likely authored by Bilba Labingi. The first section (I) is attributed to Faramir, Prince of Ithilien, though certain stylistic inconsistencies suggest his writing may have been supplemented by his eldest son Elboron after his death.

**(I) Of the House of Stewards**

The fragment begins with a passage easily recognizable within Tolkien’s Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers (the Tolkien translation is italicized to set it apart from the Southgate addition). It reads,

> _[Faramir] was gentle in bearing, and a lover of lore and of music, and therefore by many in those days his courage was judged less than his brother’s. But it was not so, except that he did not seek glory in danger without a purpose,_ and chose his battles at home with cautious wisdom.
> 
> In 3007, Denethor II called for the first straight pride march to be held on the Citadel and Sixth Level of Minas Tirith, less than one month after the first gay pride march graced the Rath Celerdain. His summons went out to all the city, but when at last the day of the march arrived, the Upper Levels were empty. This was not for lack of notice, for the Steward had ordered announcements to be made throughout Minas Tirith for no less than ten days. The people did not attend because they viewed the march, in the words of one barkeep, a “dick move.”
> 
> A proud man, Denethor carried out the march on his own, flanked by the Guards of the Citadel. Faramir made a brief appearance out of familial obligation, remaining only long enough for his father to note his presence. He descended then to the First Level in search of his brother. He entered the Caew Gelir, a gay tavern the eldest son of the Steward was known to frequent. There he found Boromir pledging funds to ensure the following year’s gay pride parade would be even grander than the last.
> 
> Upon seeing Faramir, the Captain of the White Tower complimented the rainbow ribbon pinned to his doublet. Faramir responded that it was fortunate the Steward had not been as observant. As it was, Denethor declined making his march an annual event, remarking to his personal guard, “It was not worth being in such close proximity to my son.” In this way, Faramir showed both his courage and wisdom, in attending his father’s march only in silent protest, and playing on his father’s resentment toward him to ensure this first march was the last.
> 
> Both sons of the Steward, though straight, were ardent supporters of the LGBTQ community. Boromir personally patronized every queer establishment in the city, while Faramir funded research in the House of Healing to further development of gender confirmation medicine. After the War of the Ring, King Elessar established the Reunited Kingdom as a haven for all LGBTQ folk, remarking that such a step would not have been possible without the work of Boromir and Faramir.

Here, the text resumes the brief summary of the Stewards of Gondor leading up to the War of the Ring, which is found in full in Appendix A. What is most remarkable about this fragment is not its significant length or detail (both of which are greater than any of the other Southgate fragments), but that all mentions of “LGBTQ” are untranslated from Westron. While it was previously accepted that this acronym surfaced first in the late 1980s C.E., it is evident now that the acronym is older than the English language itself. This begs the question, what else of Westron has survived in some form to the present day? Why did we lose such terminology and widespread social acceptance? Further linguistic and sociohistorical research is needed.

**(II) Of the Fellowship of the Ring**

Later sections focus on specific races, but it is important first to study the Fellowship itself. It should also be noted upfront that much has been made recently in Middle-earth scholarship of the usage of “race” terminology. Since the Ostia discovery in 2014 C.E. revealed the ancient ruins of Minas Tirith and the entombed remains of the House of Telcontar, we have known that the various races were, in fact, distinct hominin species that coexisted for several millennia. Certain species, like homo sapiens and homo acris, were capable of producing viable offspring, while homo lapidis (Potsdam, 2017 C.E.) was too genetically distinct to interbreed with its contemporaries, which likely contributed to its gradual extinction. Homo floresiensis survived longest alongside our own ancestors, persisting in isolated regions until approximately 50,000 years ago.

The language of “race” is problematic therefore not only due to its inapplicability here (these were distinct hominin species), but also due to the fact that race theory as a pseudoscience has long been disproven. We will, however, persist in using racial terminology to match the language of Tolkien’s translation. As such, we will refer to species by their Tolkien gloss instead of their scientific name (e.g. Elf instead of homo acris).

In many ways, the Fellowship of the Ring may be viewed as a microcosm of Middle-earth queerness. Overwhelmingly, these nine individuals typify their own races. In addition, the Southgate fragments reveal that a number of the members of the Fellowship were coupled romantically, again in ways typical to their distinct cultures and traditions.

For example, a fragment completing a famous passage in _The Two Towers_ demonstrates Banazîr’s clear romantic love for Maura (Southgate addition italicized for emphasis):

> [Banazîr] shook his head, as if finding words useless, and murmured: “I love [Maura]. He’s like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no. _I love him romantically; I am bisexual._ ”

Later, in _The Return of the King_ , we are explicitly told of Banazîr and Maura’s plan to enter a polycule with Rusa Hlothran (English: Rose Cotton, though it is important to note that Rusa is a theoretical reconstruction of the Westron). Again, the Southgate addition is italicized:

> “It’s Rusa, Rusa Hlothran,” said Ban. “It seems she didn’t like my going abroad at all, poor lass; but as I hadn’t spoken, she couldn’t say so. And I didn’t speak, because I had a job to do first. But now I have spoken, and she says: ‘Well, you’ve wasted a year, so why wait longer?’ ‘Wasted?’ I says. ‘I wouldn’t call it that.’ Still I see what she means. I feel torn in two, as you might say.”
> 
> “I see,” said Maura: “you want to get married, and yet you want to live with me in Bag End, too? But my dear Ban, how easy! _We shall all_ get married as soon as _we_ can, and then move in with Rusa. There’s room enough in Bag End for _us all, for_ as big a family as _we_ could wish for. _What a home we shall make together._ ”

It is clear that Maura and Banazîr were coupled at the time of the War of the Ring and became throupled soon thereafter. Gimli and Legolas, likewise, became coupled sometime between the Battle of the Hornburg and King Elessar’s coronation. This is when we begin to see terms of endearment shared between them in the Southgate fragments. Prior to the coronation, the Sindarin term used is melpen, an otherwise unattested portmanteau meaning, literally, “loved one.” After the coronation, the term switches permanently to meleth (English: lover).

Other scholars choose to interpret this distinction as evidence that their romantic love was not consummated until around the time of the coronation. However, given the nature of Elven sexuality and marriage customs, any open mention of belovedness is arguably strong evidence that a consummation has already taken place. Regardless of when this coupling occurred, it is undeniable now that Gimli and Legolas were married. We must wonder what the ramifications this marriage had on Greenwood-Erebor relations: did it yield a stronger alliance, or sow discord? Could the fact that Gimli and Legolas never resettled in their land of origin suggest public disapproval of this cross-racial match? More research is needed.

We have already explored Boromir’s positive impact on LGBTQ rights in the section on the Stewards of Gondor (I). The Southgate fragments reveal that he was, in fact, the only straight member of the Fellowship of the Ring. Yet his legacy shows him to have been a great ally of the LGBTQ community in Gondor, and a passing reference to a lesbian tavern in Minas Tirith being named in his honor suggests that he was particularly beloved by Gondorian lesbians.

Of Aragorn, there is disappointingly little we can say definitively, despite his fragments being the most tantalizing. On several occasions, he refers to Théoden King as iormeleth, another otherwise unattested Sindarin portmanteau meaning “old lover.” This unique term suggests a previous romantic relationship between the two kings that has since ended. Because Aragorn uses this term in his earliest interactions with Théoden, their coupling most likely occurred when Aragorn served Thengel King in his youth under the pseudonym Thorongil between 2957 and 2969 (at this, we the scholars say: nice). As Aragorn did go on to wed Arwen Undómiel, bisexuality is likely.

None of the Southgate fragments gave us textual evidence of Gandalf’s queerness or transness within the context of the Third Age. However, a fragment of what would become Tolkien’s _The Silmarillion_ shed light on the nature of the Valar and Maiar. This will be explored in a later section.

**(III) Of the Dwarves**

It was long believed that the primary reason for homo lapidis’ demise was the population’s severe gender imbalance, leading to a negative birthrate that ultimately led to extinction. Pre-Potsdam estimates, informed solely by the Red Book, claimed there were between 3-5 Dwarf males for every 1 Dwarf female. The Potsdam discovery, which unearthed the Dwarven city of Erebor in 2017 C.E., revealed a virtually equal distribution of male and female remains. However, the Red Book’s genealogical records confirm a consistently low birthrate among Dwarves. Until the Southgate fragments, we had no explanation for this phenomenon.

Now, it is clear that the low birthrate was due not to a gender imbalance, but rather a sexuality imbalance. Dwarves of all genders were overwhelmingly gay, and faced little pressure from their families or society at large to couple in conflict with their sexual orientations. In fact, it seems that pressuring Dwarves to enter mixed-gender unions for the express purpose of reproduction was one of the greatest taboos in Dwarven society. The Dwarves believed their sexuality was Mahal-given (Quenya: Aüle, who the Dwarves revered as their creator), and to force one to act contrary to their nature was seen as an act of utmost cruelty. It was common, therefore, to divert the line of succession to other close kin in cases of gay royalty (the most famous example being Thorin Oakenshield, who appointed his sister-son Fíli as heir to Erebor before their untimely deaths during the Battle of the Fives Armies).

Why does the Red Book report a false gender imbalance? Evidently, the other races were under the mistaken impression that there were more Dwarf males than Dwarf females, but how did they come to believe this? The simplest answer is that Dwarven gender presentation and performance were vastly different than that of their contemporaries.

We know that Dwarves of all genders grew beards, a feature unique to homo lapidis during this era. In terms of dress, there were no discernable differences. There were few physical differences between the genders, and even fewer social differences. There is nothing easily identifiable in Dwarven culture that we could today label “gender norms.” All fields of work were equally open to everyone, with the necessary training and education accessible via apprenticeships and proto-universities. While childbearing was done by females, parents shared the duty of childrearing.

It would seem, therefore, that the idea of a gender imbalance among the Dwarven population originated from outside misunderstanding of Dwarven culture. Men, Elves, and Hobbits all have greater distinctions between genders, although Elves are also genderfluid (see below, IV). Perhaps other races arrived at the assumption that because Dwarves appear male by their standards, most Dwarves must be male.

This possibility is made even more real by the issue of translation. Khuzdul is significantly different than Westron and the various Elven dialects, and is alone in being an ungendered language. When Dwarves first learned Westron and Sindarin, it is possible the subtleties of gendered grammar were lost of them. Middle-earth linguists will surely have fun debating this question.

**(IV) Of the Elves**

Elven gender-fluidity is built into their language; all Elven dialects demonstrate a variety of pronouns, all of which are reasonably flexible in their usage. For example, Sindaran contains both e/he/hain (he/she/they) while also permitting e to be used for anyone regardless of gender. It is difficult, therefore, to properly translate Sindarin phrases using e without context. The Quenya pronoun se functions similarly.

Southgate fragments pertaining to the First Age reveal that Elves are fluid both in terms of gender and sexuality. The natural state of Elves appears to be nonbinary and pansexual. That is, Elves possessed the natural ability to change their physical form in accordance with their gender identity, which shifted freely with their sexuality until marriage. Unmarried Elves retained this innate fluidity indefinitely, though most Elves wed relatively early in their long lives. An exception to this is Elrond Peredhel, who was born in F.A. 532 yet wed Celebrían in T.A. 109 at age 3,608. Upon marriage, Elrond chose to live as a straight cis male, however rumors of his bisexuality have persisted to this day.

It is helpful to note, in referencing these bisexual rumors, that Elrond likely never engaged in extramarital affairs regardless of his sexuality. Dr. Eleanor McElbrian, author of the salacious (and only) Elrond biography ( _Elrond Peredhel: The Complete History_ , 1995 C.E.), claims that Elrond and Celebrían welcomed any number of Elves into their marital bed, though scholars know this to be a blatant lie. The act of consummation is itself the completion of the marriage ceremony; once Elves have sex, they are wed for life. Unless Imladris is someday revealed to have been a polygamous paradise, we can confidently reject McElbrian’s interpretation.

Other notable Elves include Thranduil, Queen of the Woodland Realm, who self-identified as a bicurious straight trans woman. The Southgate fragments shed light on her personal memoirs, in which she claimed to have frequent threesomes with Galadriel and Celeborn of neighboring Lothlórien. Of course, knowing what we do about Elven marriage, we understand such a throupling was impossible. A Second Age fragment also reveals the Noldorin king Gil-galad referring to Elrond as meleth, however as there is no record of a marriage between the two Elves, this is clearly a scribal error.

N.B. The author of Appendix G denies any anti-Elf bias present here, but would like to take this moment to emphasize that Dwarven culture was clearly superior as far as gender identity and sexuality were concerned, and the Tolkien translation was unjust in its persistent anti-Dwarf sentiment.

**(V) Concerning Hobbits**

As suggested by the polycule between Maura Labingi, Banazîr Galbasi, and Rusa Hlothran, Hobbitish society was generally accepting and sex positive. Even marriage did not prevent the acquisition of new romantic partners, though the consent of all involved parties was considered a necessity. Loyal, affectionate, and loving, Hobbitish families were often blended and could grow at a moment’s notice, welcoming in a new lover or adopting an orphaned child with little hesitation. Adults shared childrearing responsibilities, though Hobbit males were more likely to work outside the smial, so responsibilities were not always distributed equally. Evidence suggests that a majority of Hobbits were bi or pan, making monosexuality the exception.

There is no extant indication of trans Dwarves, though due to the lack of gender norms and stereotypes in Dwarven culture, one might not expect to find obvious evidence; although we can tell biological sex from ancient remains, gender is harder to discern without clear cultural markers. We know, of course, that there were trans Elves, though all gender in Elven culture is chosen by nature, and physical transition was as complete as the individual desired. Lacking a genderless culture, the innate ability to change physical form, and modern gender confirmation technology, it is impressive how accepting Hobbitish society was of trans Hobbits, especially compared with contemporary humans who exhibited significantly less acceptance under similar circumstances.

It was not until the Ostia discovery, when the remains of two homo floresiensis specimens were found buried beside King Elessar on Rath Dínen in the ruins of Minas Tirith, that Kalimac Brandagamba and Razanur Tûk were confirmed to be trans men. This fact is never mentioned in _The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King_ , written primarily by Maura Labingi, cousin and close friend of both Kalimac and Razanur.

From the available evidence, we might infer that trans Hobbits were able to socially transition with relative ease. Hobbitish society was fairly gendered in terms of dress and gender roles, so it was perhaps more welcoming of binary trans Hobbits, though this is pure speculation. Nonbinary individuals have existed in every human society in history, and it only follows that the same be true in other similarly advanced hominin species. As the Southgate archaeological site over Bag End is still active, additional insight into Hobbitish culture is likely to arise in the future.

**(VI) Additional Notes on Gender Identity in Middle-earth**

There are several notable figures that deserve honorable mention regarding gender identity in Middle-earth. The first is Éowyn of Rohan, Lady of Ithilien. Despite strict gender roles in Rohirric society, Éowyn freely moved between masculine and feminine norms, creating a space for herself where there previously was none. For years, she declared herself to be a trans woman, but her people did not believe. When she styled herself the Lady of Rohan, her uncle Théoden King and brother Éomer acquiesced to her requests despite their doubts. It was only when she slayed the Witch-king of Angmar, who no living man could kill, that all of Rohan at last embraced her as Lady of the Shield-arm, a true heroine of her people.

Much has been said previously about the public work of Faramir, Prince of Ithilien (I) in furthering LGBTQ rights in Gondor, but nothing has yet been said of his personal involvement. It is only mentioned once, almost in passing, in what is again recognizable as Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers. The addition is italicized below:

> [Faramir] welcomed Gandalf at such times as he came to the City, and he learned what he could from his wisdom. _He gained, too, great healing from him, as all wizards are learned in the magic of gender confirmation medicine;_ and in this _, above all_ other matters, he displeased his father.

It is evident from this brief passage that Faramir was a trans man. A later addition attributed to Elboron explains that at Boromir’s request, Denethor grudgingly allowed Faramir to socially transition, resolving to hold his son to the highest standard of masculinity in the hopes of breaking his will. Denethor insisted on renaming his younger son, which is perhaps why “Faramir” is linguistically but a shadow of “Boromir,” meaning “sufficient jewel” to Boromir’s “brilliant jewel.” In the eyes of Denethor, Faramir would never be enough.

Armed with the knowledge that Gandalf aided Faramir’s transition, we can infer that much of the research Faramir funneled into the House of Healing had its source in Gandalf, and that the wizard himself was indispensable in providing life-giving treatment to trans Gondorians.

Being one of the Istari, a subset of the Maiar, Gandalf would naturally be uncommonly knowledgeable about gender identity. A final Southgate fragment reveals a key change to the Ainulindalë. Additions are italicized:

> But when they desire to clothe themselves, the Valar take upon them forms some as of male and some as of female; for _gender identity_ they _had not_ from their beginning, and _gender_ is _embodied_ in the choice of each, _indeed_ made by the choice, _because Valar, which include Maiar, are agender._

It is clear here that divine beings, including Gandalf, are genderless and are able to change their gender identity at will. In the Tolkien translation of the Ainulindalë, we come away with a vastly different understanding; the Valar do have an innate gender, which cannot be changed by choice. It is interesting that Tolkien’s Red Book yielded an opposite translation to the Southgate fragments, introducing a rather problematic possibility.

**(VII) Conclusions**

Middle-earth Studies remains a fairly young field, and we owe an enormous debt to the pioneering scholarship of J.R.R. Tolkien, without whom we would not have been able to decipher Westron or any of the many languages native to ancient Middle-earth. However, the Tolkien translation did yield a number of misconceptions which we are now able to correct with the Southgate fragments. For example, nowhere in Tolkien’s many Middle-earth genealogies is a single queer coupling noted, which we now understand were fairly common during the War of the Ring and recognized as equal to straight couplings.

In the case of Elven, Dwarven, and Hobbitish societies, marriage equality was a fact of life, such that there is little point in differentiating between “gay marriage” and “straight marriage” in the world of Middle-earth. Only in human society did a significant stigma against gender and sexual diversity exist. While a slight majority of humans were unaccepting, there are notable exceptions, most significantly illustrated by Boromir and Faramir’s work in Minas Tirith, which paved the way for King Elessar’s sweeping pro-LGBTQ policies. A minority of humans, such as the Dalish people, were always accepting, though this is perhaps explained by their proximity to the Elves of the Greenwood and the Dwarves of Erebor. The Breefolk were another exception, likely due to their semi-regular interactions with Hobbits.

So overwhelming is the evidence that Middle-earth was largely welcoming of LGBTQ folk that we must ask whether Tolkien truly was aware of this phenomenon in Middle-earth and blatantly obscured it. It seems convenient that his Red Book, if as complete and thorough as he claimed, would overlook such a significant aspect of life in Middle-earth. Even more damning is the apparent alteration made to the Ainulindalë. Whether this is due to Tolkien’s personal beliefs, the censorship of his editors, or a genuine gap in the text is still unknown. We cannot answer this question definitively, as the Tolkien estate continues to refuse to make public the Red Book in its original Westron. As long as we are forced to rely on the Tolkien translation and the scant handful of Westron excerpts his estate has deigned to share with even the most advanced Middle-earth scholars, we can only speculate.

What can we learn from the Southgate discovery? Clearly much about the history of the ancient world, but these fragments and the revelations they hold may also serve as an inspiration for us today. They open a window to a world of ages past, where people so similar to us enjoyed for millennia what we in the modern era have fought decades to achieve. How can we reclaim this ancient respect, acceptance, and love for our fellow humans? How can we nurture a similar spirit of mutual support to help all humans reach their potential, to live into their personal truth, and become who they are meant to be?

These fragments are lessons, whispering to us.

What are they saying to you?


End file.
